literature

Cozy Christmas Reads: All I Want is You Review

by Stefani

All I Want is You by Falon Ballard

Published: September 24, 2024 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Synopsis:

Bitter exes. Professional rivals. Just one bed.
What could go wrong?

Jessica Carrington always wanted her own happily ever after. But, until that happens, she spends her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying Happily Ever Afters to soothe the heartache left by her ex-boyfriend Nick Matthews, a fellow romance writer and now her biggest rival, who has found success writing love stories without happy endings. It’s clearly what he’s good at, after all . . .

So, when their professional obligations find them snowed in – and forced to share a room! – at the same remote inn a few days before Christmas, Jess and Nick are both fuming. But what’s more fitting for two romantic writers in a slump? And when they realise the friction between them might be the only cure for their writer’s block, they decide to turn their frustration into fiction . . . and the pages start flying.

Jess can’t shake the feeling that Nick is the last guy on earth she should be falling for (again), but, as they both finally get back in their flow, is he actually all she wants for Christmas?

Rating:

Review:

The best word I can think of for this book is, it was cute. It was cute and cozy. It made me want to put up a Christmas tree. I really enjoyed the premise of these two being snowed in together and forced to work on a holiday romance book together. I enjoyed the idea of Jess and Nick initially being brought together by writing romance novels, but then they break up and Nick gains a lot more success while Jess is still waitressing to pay the bills. It was a good dynamic that not only brought in the heartbreak of the breakup, but also an element of professional rivalry and jealousy.

The biggest highlight for me in this book was Jess’s two best friends. Honestly, they are the two best friends that every girl needs. One quips, “Open your heart to love!” While the other chimes in with, “Close your legs for ex-boyfriends!” The two of them made me laugh so much. I want them to be my friends in real life.

I had two big drawbacks in this book. One was the flashbacks. We get a lot of flashbacks back to their best memories while they were dating. But all of them are sexual. Didn’t they have nice moments that didn’t include sex? They were together for multiple years so I have to imagine that they did. But we didn’t hear about any of them and so it made their connection seem mostly sexual when it was supposed to be about love.

My other big drawback was the dual POV. It just didn’t work for me in this instance. We hear not only Jess’ conflicted thoughts about still loving him but also being very angry with him and determined to keep her distance. But we also hear how Nick is still madly in love with her, almost from the beginning. There’s no mystery in how either of them are feeling, and so it ruined a bit of the fun for me. I would have rather been left guessing how Nick was feeling about Jess until later in the book. I think that would have worked better for this story.

All in all, it was a cute little romance. It was easy and fun to read. So break out the peppermint mocha, put on your fuzzy slippers and have a Christmasy read.

New Releases Wednesday – November 6, 2024

by Stefani

The Road of Bones by Demi Winters

Published: November 5, 2024 by Delacorte Press

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

A woman on the run. A crew of Viking mercenaries. A forbidden romance. And the secret which threatens them all.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life.

The Queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous travel the treacherous Road of Bones–a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer–and go to Kopa, where a shield-house awaits her.

After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen’s ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively.

Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?

Why this caught my eye:

I talked about this book a few months ago as an upcoming release, and well, now it’s here! I love Viking mythology, throw in a romantasy and I am on board.

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

Published: November 5, 2024 by Ace

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells “small” fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences…

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past are closing in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have.

Why this caught my eye:

This sounds like an interesting blend of a fantasy, magic romance, and a cozy buddy mystery. I am really intrigued by this synopsis.

The Honey Witch: A Magical Love Story in Innisfree

by Stefani

The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields

Published: May 16, 2024 by Orbit

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Synopsis:

The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.
 
Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who’ve tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence come with a curse. No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.
 
When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold can’t resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. But soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected. And when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home—at the risk of losing her magic and her heart.

Rating:

Review:

**Warning** This review will contain spoilers.

I wanted to love this book. So much. I talked about this book back in May and was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I wonder if this book suffered because it was the author’s debut novel. There were many times that I felt as though the author was uncomfortable taking chances. She played it safe and as a result the book wasn’t as good as it could have been. I wonder how amazing this book would have been if the author tackled this idea in 5 years, when she had matured in her craft a little. Alas, we’ll never know.

Marigold was a lovely character. I found her smart, sassy and kind. She fit the role of the Honey Witch perfectly. I also liked that she displayed a lack of confidence in her abilities at first, it made her feel much more real. I wish we had spent more time with her learning her magic because I found that to be the most enjoyable part.

I loved the magic in this book too. It felt real and profound. Tying magic to honey is a brilliant idea. And the book is written in a sumptuous, rich way that reminded me of honey. This brought an unexpected magic to the words that I really enjoyed. It was wonderfully executed and I have no doubt that the author has a very bright career ahead of her.

The worldbuilding in this book was very confusing. It wanted to be Regency-esque. You had the Regency lifestyle, but then there are pieces added in that didn’t make sense at all. The whole first third of the book is a very long diatribe about patriarchy. Marigold expounds at length about how the only ambition a girl is allowed to have in her world is who she marries, which is something Marigold isn’t interested in. So in this world there are very clear class and gender norms that have to be adhered to. Which is very typical of Regency books. But, then you also have complete acceptance of characters who are LGBTQ. And while the author yells at us about partriarchy a lot most of the men in this book are….pretty cool actually. They don’t seem to have any problem with Marigold’s unconventional choices, nor the choices and relationships of others. This felt like the author wanted Regency, but without all the pesky problems that come with that era. As a result the worldbuilding felt inauthentic.

The curse was also really confusing. It served no functional purpose. The curse is that no one can ever fall in love with the Honey Witch. The author tells us that the evil witch cast this curse with the intention of ending the line of Honey Witches. But, as Marigold’s grandmother points out, you don’t need to be in love to have child. Indeed, Marigold’s grandmother used magic to conjure a child out of nothing. You would think that the evil witch had considered those things. The curse functionally serves zero purpose except to create a star-crossed lovers narrative. That narrative was very well executed, but there were many other options for initiating their separation, it didn’t need to be this curse.

The evil Ash witch serves almost no purpose to the story. We are told that the duty of the Honey Witch is to protect Innisfree from the Ash witch. Why does she want it? I have no idea, even after reading the book. Why is the Ash witch evil? Because she does evil things. But why does she do those evil things? No idea. We learn almost nothing about the Ash witch except that she attacked Innisfree when Marigold was a little girl, and she attacks again at the end of this book. We have no idea why she wants Innisfree, why she holds a grudge against the Honey Witches, or why she does anything she does. I really hate villains that are evil just for the sake of being evil. I really hate villains that only do evil things, because it’s not realistic. Not a single living creature is all good or all evil, and all of them have some kind of motivation for their actions. All of these reasons made the Ash witch feel like a cardboard cutout. She is there to be the villain, because the book needs one. It was a disappointing ending.

Upcoming Releases – November 3, 2024

by Stefani

This month I’m highlighting books expected to publish in February 2025. These are the ones that piqued my curiosity. What ones did I miss? What is calling your name from the future?

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

Expected publication: February 11, 2025 by Pamela Dorman Books

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is . . . complicated. So when her real dad—a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago—suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach about love, and what it actually means to be family.

Why this caught my eye:

In the frantic pace of the world we live in, sometimes it’s nice to just relax with the story of a family. This sounds intricate and heartwarming.

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce

Expected publication: February 25, 2025 by Minotaur Books

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Newly-minted child psychologist Mina has little experience. In a field where the first people called are experts, she’s been unable to get her feet wet. Instead she aimlessly spends her days stuck in the stifling heat wave sweeping across Britain, and anxiously contemplating her upcoming marriage to careful, precise researcher Oscar. The only reprieve from her small, close world is attending the local bereavement group to mourn her brother’s death from years ago. That is, until she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day. And he has a proposition for her.

Alice Webber is a thirteen year old girl who claims she’s being haunted by a witch. Living with her family in their crowded home in the remote village of Banathel, Alice’s symptoms are increasingly disturbing, and money is tight. Taking this job will give Mina some experience; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better, Mina is sure of it.

But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes increasingly inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand.

As Mina races to uncover the truth behind Alice’s condition, the dark cracks of Banathel begin to show. Mina is desperate to understand how deep their sinister traditions go–and how her own past may be the biggest threat of all.

Why this caught my eye:

I really enjoy a good horror book. This format of believing that a character has a mental illness but…do they really?, is a common theme in horror and it is often successful. I also like the tie in to witchcraft.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

Expected publication: February 25, 2025 by William Morrow

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

It is June 21, the longest day of the year, and the life of new mother Camilla is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop off her infant daughter at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But when she wakes, her husband Luke isn’t there, and in his place is a cryptic note.

Then it starts. Breaking news: A hostage situation is developing in London. The police tell her Luke is involved—but he isn’t a hostage. Her husband—doting father, eternal optimist—is the gunman.

Why this caught my eye:

I have a fascination with books where characters are not who they seem. The idea of waking up one day to find that the person you married has done something absolutely inexplicable

Annie Jacobsen’s Insights on Nuclear Annihilation

by Stefani

Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen

Published: March 26, 2024 by Dutton

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Synopsis:

There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war. And one of the triggers for that war would be a nuclear missile inbound toward the United States.

Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These investigations are vital to how we understand the world we really live in—where one nuclear missile will beget one in return, and where the choreography of the world’s end requires massive decisions made on seconds’ notice with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario explores this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, have been privy to the response plans, and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made. Nuclear War: A Scenario examines the handful of minutes after a nuclear missile launch. It is essential reading, and unlike any other book in its depth and urgency.

Rating:

Review:

After listening to an interview with Annie Jacobsen I knew that I needed to read this book. And apparently a lot of other people thought the same thing, because this one had a 6 month waitlist from my library. Even for the audiobook, which is insane because the audiobook normally has a shorter wait time. But I digress. I have long had feelings about nuclear weapons and the idea of deterrence and mutually assured destruction. That has been the stance of world on nuclear weapons. “Well, we both have them, and we know that if one of uses them then so will the other, and no one wants that.”

There’s just one problem with that theory, human nature. Eventually there will be a human who says, “Fuck the consequences, if I’m going down then so are they.” Human nature virtually guarantees this. And this is what Annie Jacobsen explores. She explores in depth the timeline of a nuclear war. Starting at the beginning when there is a satellite confirmation that a missile has been fired. She goes through the exact conversations that would be happening. Was it an accident? Is it just a missile or does it have a nuke on it? Where is it headed? Could this be a misfire? What exactly is going on and how do we respond? The timeline for making this decision is very short. In the best circumstance that timeline is about 6 minutes. Six minutes to try and figure out what happened and if the US will respond. And that is the best case scenario, if a missile was launched from a submarine then the timeframe could be a minute total.

The author also goes through the timeline of just how many times the United States has been on the brink of nuclear war and luckily it hasn’t happened. Did you that in 1983 the Soviet Union’s radar detection system alerted that the United States had launched give nuclear missiles at the Soviet Union. Stanislav Petrov was manning the radar. His procedures required that he report the radar results to Moscow. But he didn’t, because he thought it was strange. Later, he said that he asked himself “Why would the United States only launch 5 missiles? If they wanted a nuclear war, they would fire many more, wouldn’t they?” And he chose to believe it was a false alert. It was indeed a false alert. But think about what could have happened if he had followed procedure?

I spent a lot of time wondering what kind of scenario Annie Jacobsen had created in this book. Was this a best case scenario? Average scenario? Worst case scenario? But then I realized something. She talked about how the Defense Department runs war game simulations on how a nuclear war would proceed. Hundreds of them. Potentially thousands of them. They’ve been running them since the first nuclear bomb was invented. And according to the source Jacobsen spoke to, every single scenario they have run ends in global annihilation. That’s when I realized, it doesn’t matter what kind of scenario it is. They all end the same way. They all end with human beings annihilating themselves. The only solution is for no one to press the button, ever. But even that doesn’t account for accidents. For as long as nuclear weapons exist, this book posits that eventually, for one reason or another, nuclear war is how it ends.

My only complaint is that some of the imagined dialogue is very corny. And I found some of the posited hypothetical events to unnecessary to the situation and it doesn’t add much value.

So, this book was possibly the most frightening thing I’ve ever read. Also one of the most important. I am going to get myself a stiff drink and hope that if nuclear war happens, I’ll be close enough to the blast to be evaporated.

As Nikita Khrushchev said to JFK, in the event of nuclear war “The survivors would envy the dead.” That’s a grim thought, but one that we all need to pay attention to. Do you trust the people guarding that button? I don’t. Not a single one of them.

New Releases Wednesday – October 30, 2024

by Stefani

Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews

Published: October 29, 2024 by Felwel & Friends

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him.

Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality—Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork—whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster—Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…

Why this caught my eye:

This feels very fairytale horror to me. And I love the idea of drawings having magic powers.

Bloodguard by Cecy Robson

Published: October 8, 2024 by Entangled Publishing LLC

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

One hundred years. Tens of thousands of gladiators. And today, only one will rise…

Everything in the Kingdom of Arrow is a lie.

Leith of Grey thought coming to this new land and volunteering to fight in the gladiator arena—vicious, bloodthirsty tournaments where only the strongest survive—would earn him enough gold to save his dying sister. He thought there was nothing left to lose.

He was wrong—and they took everything. His hope. His freedom. His very humanity.

All Leith has left is his battle-scarred body, fueled by rage and hardened from years of fighting for the right to live another day.

Then Leith meets Maeve, an elven royal who is everything he despises. Everything he should hate. Until the alluring princess offers him the one thing he needs most: a chance to win the coveted title of Bloodguard—and his freedom.

But in a kingdom built on secrets and lies, hope doesn’t come cheap.

Nor will his ultimate revenge…

Why this caught my eye:

I am always drawn to stories of characters who have nothing left to lose and want revenge for some wrong that has been done to them. It’s all in the execution and this one sounds really interesting.

Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

Published: October 1, 2024 by Dell

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

A kitchen witch with a penchant for baking and a (literally) cursed love life meets someone who’s worth breaking a hex for in this sweet and spicy debut romance.

As a skilled kitchen witch, Dina Whitlock knows her way around a pastry recipe. In fact, she runs her very own London café serving magic-infused pastries for her loyal customers. But only a select few friends know about her magical abilities or the hex that has plagued her love life. It’s hard to fall in love when your partner is guaranteed to have a string of bad luck the second they start to have feelings for you.

Scott Mason is back from traveling the world and is excited to begin his new job as a curator at the British Museum. After leaving London to heal from a brutal breakup two years ago, Scott only now realizes how much he missed out on. Now that his best friend’s wedding is right around the corner, Scott is determined to be the most amazing best man ever, but he doesn’t expect to be bewitched by the maid of honor, who also happens to be the owner of his new favorite café and, more surprisingly, a witch?!

After a weekend in the countryside full of peculiar hedge mazes, palm readings by candlelight, and a midnight Halloween ritual, there’s no denying the chemistry between them. But there’s just one problem: The hex still holds, and Dina knows that Scott is in danger. In the past, she’s always cut her losses, but this time is different. Scott could be the one. Will Dina be able to undo the hex, before it’s too late?

Why this caught my eye:

There are a ton of Christmastime romance novels (Believe me, I have 3 reviews on them coming soon!), but not as many Halloween ones. And Halloween is my favorite holiday. This sounds sweet and cute and that is what a good romance should be.

Progress Update Friday – October 25, 2024

by Stefani

The Prophecy of the Yubriy Tree by Ben Spencer

Progress: 59 of 379 pages

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Every year, prophecy leaves fall from the Yubriy Tree. And every year, the Dayborn king sends his most trusted servants to collect the leaves and return them to the capital.

Only this year, one of the leaves drifted into the forest unseen.

Three lives will be forever changed by the undetected prophecy leaf.

The strong-willed daughter of a powerful family. The mysterious and reviled half brother of the king. And a talented but unlucky musician, desperate to write the song that will bring him good fortune.

Looming in the background are reports of the first dragon to appear in Ragar Or in over sixty-five years. And, as anyone familiar with Ragar Or’s history knows, when dragons appear, royalty dies.

How it’s going:

This is such an interesting idea. I was really pleased to get the ARC for it. So far the stories are interesting. I have read a chapter from 2 of the people mentioned in the synopsis and both were very intriguing. It’s off to a good start and I hope it continues.

Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen

Progress: 7:25 of 11 hours, 19 minutes

Check this book out at: Goodreads

Synopsis:

There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war. And one of the triggers for that war would be a nuclear missile inbound toward the United States.

Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These investigations are vital to how we understand the world we really live in—where one nuclear missile will beget one in return, and where the choreography of the world’s end requires massive decisions made on seconds’ notice with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario explores this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, have been privy to the response plans, and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made. Nuclear War: A Scenario examines the handful of minutes after a nuclear missile launch. It is essential reading, and unlike any other book in its depth and urgency.

How it’s going:

If the hold times on this through my library is any indication, this book has been gangbusters popular. The hold on the physical book stands at 75 people, the ebook stands at 7 months, and getting the audiobook took my 3 1/2 months. So far, I am depressed. And I need a stiff drink. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Honestly, I will probably finish this one today and then if I can manage a review this weekend that’s great, but I might need to digest it a little bit.

Chasing Firebirds: The Phoenix Keeper Analysis

by Stefani

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean

Narrated by: Stephanie Bentley

Published: August 13, 2024 by Orbit

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Synopsis:

As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, Aila’s childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There’s just one glaring caveat: her zoo’s breeding program hasn’t functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix heist sabotages the flagship initiative at a neighboring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are fit to take the reins.

But saving an entire species from extinction requires more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks, mischievous dragons… Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. Inspiring zoo patrons? That’s another story. Mustering the courage to ask for help from the hotshot griffin keeper at the zoo’s most popular exhibit? Virtually impossible.

Especially when that hotshot griffin keeper happens to be her arch-rival from college: Luciana, an annoyingly brooding and insufferable know-it-all with the grace of a basilisk and the face of a goddess, who’s convinced that Aila’s beloved phoenix would serve their cause better as an active performer rather than a passive conservation exhibit.

With the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, Aila’s success isn’t only a matter of keeping her job: the future of a species depends on her.

Rating:

Review:

I wanted to like this book a whole lot more than I did. For a lot of reasons this one just didn’t work for me. The premise of the book was great. I have always loved the idea of magical creatures and creating a world where zoos are trying to save those magical creatures from extinction is a fantastic idea. Throw in some romance and it should have been a great book.

While I felt like audiobook narrator did a good job, sometimes her tone didn’t match the emotions being conveyed very well. When Aila was supposed to sound determined or anxious, it came across as whiny. I can only partially blame the narrator for this though because Aila is pretty whiny in general. She spends most of this book worrying, hating things and whining about it. She is supposed to be 28 years old but she sounds like a 14 year old. We spend a lot of time hearing about Aila’s social anxiety, but it comes across less as anxiety and more like hatred. She isn’t anxious about social situations and people, she just hates them. As someone who also hates socializing I understand but I would never insist that it’s social anxiety, because it isn’t the same thing. And since the book is told from Aila’s perspective, we have to listen to her talk about really boring things for an awful long time. I got to 40% of the audiobook and she hadn’t even gotten the male phoenix yet. We’d just talked about…things. Not interesting things, just things.

Another issue I had with this book was the worldbuilding. Namely that there wasn’t any. Apart from zoos full of magical creatures I know nothing about this world. I have no idea what the locations we hear about are like, the author didn’t both to tell me. Do phoenixes like in tropical places? Deserts? Mediterranean? I know they like to nest in olive trees, but apart from that clue I was told nothing about this world. I know that DVDs exist and so do emails, so I feel like we’re stuck in the late 1990s or early 2000s. But, that’s all we know about this world. I wanted to know how magical creatures exist in this world? If magical creatures exist, does other magic exist also? If not, why not? I wanted more and I didn’t get it.

The romance was incredibly lack luster and virtually non-existent. Aila spends approximately 70% of this book hating the intended love interest and pining after someone else entirely. They don’t actually get together until the very ending of the book. So while the blurb promises a “soul restoring queer romance”, this is tepid at best.

The “villain” of the book was very boring. First, it was obvious what was going on. The only question I had was if the same person was responsible for the phoenix stealing at the first zoo, or just gotten the idea. The motive was ok but since the character was so boring it just didn’t matter. At no point did I ever feel like there was tension in the plot. Aila professes to be running for her life trying to save her phoenixes from being kidnapped, but I didn’t feel an ounce of urgency or tension.

This book would have been better if it was marketed as a young adult. Aila definitely reads as a young adult character, the romance would be better suited to the young adult genre. Overall I probably would have liked it better. As an adult fantasy it wasn’t very good.

The Crimson Crown: A Captivating Tale of Magic and Betrayal

by Stefani

The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Published: August 27, 2024 by Del Ray

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Synopis:

Legends tell of a witch who became a queen—the heartless villain in the story of Snow White.

But now the wicked queen is stepping out of Snow White’s shadow to become the heroine of her own legend.

Her real “once upon a time” begins when she is just Ayleth, a young witch who lives in the forest with her coven. The witches practice their magic in secret, hiding from the White King and his brutal war against witchcraft.

Ayleth, however, faces a war of her own. Her magical gifts have yet to reveal themselves, and as the threat of the Royal Huntsmen intensifies, Ayleth fears she will never become the witch her coven needs.

To prove herself, Ayleth sets out on a perilous quest that sends her to the White Palace, a decadent world of drama and deceit. There, Ayleth encounters an unlikely figure from her past: Jacquetta, a witch who once held Ayleth’s heart—and betrayed her.

As events at the palace escalate, Ayleth finds herself caught in the web of the White King, whose dark charisma is as dangerous as the sinister force that seems to be haunting the palace—and perhaps even Ayleth herself. With the threat of discovery looming, Ayleth and Jacquetta must set aside the wounds of their past and work together to survive.

As she uncovers the secrets of the White Court—and those of her own heart—Ayleth must find the strength to transform into someone she never imagined she could be.

A powerful witch, the very wickedest of them all.

Rating:

Review:

This book is such a difficult one for me to rate. Overall, I liked it. That narrator was great, the worldbuilding was great, the idea of the story was great. But for a lot of it, I was just bored. This was a really long audiobook, about 16 hours. That hardcover is 544 pages. That’s a really long book. And I don’t feel like the plot was interesting enough or complex enough to require that many pages. Everything took so long to happen. I have to admit that I dozed off a few times and when I woke up it didn’t seem like I had missed anything at all.

About halfway through is when the plot really started cooking and I felt like things picked up fast. The romance story was fabulously executed. Two women who had been separated through tragic circumstances and then come back together in a time of need. It was romantic. It was sweet. In the end, it was exactly what this book needed. Ayleth was a whiner for a lot of this book and it was annoying. She was upset she had no magic talent. She was upset that everyone blamed her for her sister’s death (no one actually DID blame her, but she kept insisting that people did). She was disgusted by her mother’s affinity for dark magic, but equally horrified at a woman who doesn’t want to affiliate with coven magic. She gets a lot better when she arrives at the city though. She finds her strength in a big way, but I was still left wondering…how exactly does this woman end up as the evil queen? Ayleth was way too big of a goodie two shoes for that.

When it all starts to set into motion though…oh…my…God! My face was painted in shock. All of the little pieces that had been planted earlier in the book came together in the most deliciously evil way possible. I loved it. I was completely enthralled with the ending of the book. If it had all been that fascinating then this would have easily been a 5 star book for me. I positively squealed when we got to the ending and she said the line. “Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” The ending was so great. I really just wish the rest of it could have been just as amazing. I will be reading the 2nd half of this duology an crossing my fingers that it drags less than this one.